The cover art for the next edition of MAD Magazine will depict President Trump’s son-in-law and presidential adviser Jared Kushner as its mascot, Alfred E. Neuman.
The magazine exclusively released the cover art to The Washington Times, showing Mr. Kushner with wife Ivanka Trump standing behind a seated Mr. Trump as he sits at his desk in the Oval Office.
“Special ’Take Your Kids to Work Every Day’ Issue,” reads the caption for August’s cover. The magazine is available in digital format on June 2. Print editions will hit the newsstands on June 13.
Asked by The Times if the magazine had ever depicted Mr. Trump himself as Alfred E. Neuman, editor-in-chief John Ficarra said they had “tried and tried … but just couldn’t get it to morph.”
“That’s surprising because the two share so much in common. Not only in looks, but also competency!” he said.
But while Mr. Ficarra and his fellow humorists enjoy jabbing at the president, Mr. Trump’s most die-hard and melodramatic detractors are also the target of a piece in the August issue with a feature that mocks anti-Trump pundits like Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews of MSNBC and TBS’s Samantha Bee by having readers generate silly fill-in-the-blank grievances — e.g., how Mr. Trump “vehemently defended Nickelback” and “snuck snacks from home into a movie theater.”
“Trying to keep up with President Trump’s relentless shenanigans is exhausting! And on top of that, then you also have to find the energy to complain about it! Who has the time?” quips writer Matt Lassan. “Luckily, MAD is stepping up in a yuge way and streamlining the whole process for you with our: Make Your Own Anti-Trump Rant.”
Love him, hate him, or something in between, Mr. Trump is a gold mine for MAD, and they’d be crazy to wish him off the national stage, according to Mr. Ficarra.
“The first time we put Trump on the cover, we more than doubled newsstand sales,” he told The Times. “In fact every time we have depicted Trump on the cover, we have seen a significant bump in sales. Impeaching Trump could really hurt MAD’s bottom line! Re-elect Trump in 2020, 2024, 2028 and beyond!”
Corrected from earlier to reflect Ms. Bee’s program appears on TBS, not Comedy Central
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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